Lady of the Forest
by Bloodmoon Goddess
Summary: The Xiaolin side says some harsh words and loses Kimiko forever. Five years later, a new wu appears in a forest, but wait...Who is this woman who guards the forest? Why are there wolves following her? Find out more in Xiaolin Showdown.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one

It was just another day at the xiaolin temple. Raimundo was training with Omi while Clay worked on his kung fu; Master Fung meditated under the garden's trees as Dojo basked in the sun. The only one that was not with the others was the lone female monk, Kimiko Tohomiko. Said monk was currently in the belly of the temple training herself in a place Master Fung told them never to go.

Down in the temple's belly, the farthest it could go, was a place filled to the brim with fire. It comes from deep in the Earth and brings the flame from magma from the core. Kimiko, being the curious person that she is, snuck down there late one night and found the place for her to train powers.

Currently, she was standing in the middle of the room concentrating on the moving flames around her. In her mind's eye she could not only _see_ the fire, but she could feel the life it has inside it. It danced around her, caressing her skin, and bringing joy. Kimiko could feel her inner fire and the flames around her connecting into one.

Snapping open her eyes, Kimiko jumped into the flames, twirling and dancing in the warmth. Instead of burning her, the fire accepted her as one of its own, allowing her to touch it. She felt one with the fire as she trained within, learning more from its voice then she ever could from Master Fung.

Every voice that she hears from the flames teaches her something different each day. They tell her of stories long past and dangers untold. They had become her friends and she trusted them more than her xiaolin friends.

'_Kimiko, the monks are done training.'_

'**It is time to go young one. Fung will be looking for you.'**

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow during training."

'Be safe, Kimiko, we are worried.'

'_Yes, be careful.'_

"I will, bye." Kimiko ran up the stairs two at a time, trying to get to the kitchen before the boys. Luckily, she made it in time to make herself look like she's been there for hours. Slowly, the boys walked in, one at a time, joking and laughing at something Raimundo said. They didn't even notice Kimiko sitting at the table as they sat down and grabbed at all the food. Master Fung and Dojo was the last to come in and spotted Kimiko eating her helping of rice.

"Ah, Kimiko, so good to see you." The boys stopped eating and looked up, finally noticing their only girl companion at the table.

"Well, howdy Kim'ko, we didn't see you at training."

"Yea, Kim, you're never there anymore."

"Kimiko, I do not think it is okay for you to be skipping your training. Girls are naturally weaker than boys and with you skipping training you are going to be even weaker."

Kimiko slowly chewed her rice and took a drink to wash it down. Everyone quieted down and waited for her answer, even Dojo who usually just stuffed his mouth.

"I have been training, just in a different place than you. Just because you don't see me doesn't mean I'm not doing what you are." She replied, wiping her mouth on a napkin. " And Omi, It's not that girls are weaker, it's that most don't train like we do. Also, I can clean the floor with you anytime." Getting up, she cleaned her dishes and walked away from the group. Master Fung sat silently as the guys conversed against themselves about her answer, deep in thought.

Kimiko made it back to her room and flopped on the futon, her head hurting from the guy's naturally loud voices. Looking up, she noticed her fire that gone out while she was gone for training. Raising her hand, she willed the fire back and was soon rewarded with its warmth.

'_Kimiko…'_

"Li?" Kimiko asked as she looked around as she looked for the voice she called 'Li'. "Where are you? Aren't you bound to the Room of Flames?"

'_(laughs) oh Kimiko, I am bound to no room. I can appear wherever fire exsists.'_

"Oh….well, what's up?" Kimiko looked to the flame, the bright red had turned to a brilliant green. The flames in the room never turned colors before so this was new to her.

'_I came to warn you about tomorrow.'_

"Warn me….what? What are you talking about?"

'_A Shen Gong Wu will activate tomorrow and you will be in danger."_

"Dang—What are you TALKING about?" Kimiko was getting scared and when she got scared she got mad.

'_Things will happen, xiaolin will lose, friends will be lost.'_ The green flames turned red and Li vanished from her room. Kimiko sat looking at the flames in disbelief. How could a simple training day go good to forboding…?

"…..I'm just going to go to sleep." She turned put out the fire and crawled into bed, wanting to forget about everything she just heard.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"SHEN GONG WU ALERT! SHEN GONG WU ALERT!" Dojo shouted throughout the temple, waking everybody from their much needed sleep. "WAKE UP KIDS! THIS ONE IS SUPER IMPORTANT!" The boys woke up with a groan and each stumbled out of their small room. Raimundo yawned and scratched his chest while Clay practically slept waked out of bed. Omi was the only one that was semi awake and ready to get the wu.

Kimiko had fallen back to sleep, her night before was filled with dreams of glares and hateful words. I her mind the Shen Gong Wu could wait while she got her eight hours. She had just gotten back to sleep when Raimundo came barreling into her room yelling at her to wake up and get going.

"The wu isn't going to wait forever, chica." He said, a hard tone could be heard in his voice. "Now get up, we can't wait all day for your lazy butt!" Kimiko got up with a moan as Raimundo walked out of her room. Grumbling to herself she got ready for the fight in record time, for her at least; the guys still thought she took forever.

"Ah, Kimiko, did you get your sleep of beauty?" Omi asked as he spotted her coming out of the temple. She was feeling a bit goth today and her clothing reflected that. Black leggings, black skirt with green strips and chains, a short sleeved black shirt with green fishnet underneath, Black fingerless gloves adorned her hands, and black and silver combat boots on her feet.

"I think you mean beauty sleep, little partner." Clay commented as they all took a seat upon Dojo. Kimiko ignored them and opened the scroll that held all the information on the Shen Gong Wu. A single figure was shown holding what seemed to be a necklace, glowing with a shining light. The necklace launched itself at the figure and soon the figure was glowing the same light.

"Dojo, what is this Shin Gong Wu that appeared?" Kimiko asked, still looking at the scroll, the boys quieted down and stared at Dojo. Said dragon thought for a minute before remembering why he was shouting this morning.

"Ah, well it's called the Shàngdì de lìliàng, or God's Power for short." He flew a little longer and scratched his head thinking of the other details. "I don't quite remember what its power was. Something about using a god's power I believe."

"Well, then we gotta get this wu before the evil dudes get to it. No telling what they would do if they get their greedy little hands on it!" Raimundo exclaimed. The boys talked for the rest of the trip not even bothering to speak to their only girl companion once again.

"Okay kids, we're he—" Before Dojo could finish his sentence, Kimiko had jumped from her seat and dived down into the forest below. The boys stared in disbelief at her, not believing their eyes. Quickly they jumped after her with Dojo yelling at them to wait for him.

Kimiko ran ahead of her friends, knowing the wu was right beyond the trees. She didn't know how, but she could feel the wu call out to her, almost as if it was calling her. The guys could be heard bumbling around behind her in the trees, trying to catch up to her. It didn't work for she ran even faster and busted into the clearing in time to see the wu and their enemy, Chase Young. Both warriors stared at each other for what seemed like forever before they charged for the wu.

The guys made it to the clearing in time to see Kimiko challenge Chase to a Xiaolin Showdown, each showing a mixture of fright and anger. Fright for their female friend and anger for not being the one to challenge him.

"Chase Young, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!" Kimiko spoke," Your serpent's tail against my Hanabi Star. The game is Last One Standing. Whoever wins gets the God's Power."

"I accept your challenge Dragon of Fire." Chase said, a smirk on his face. Kimiko could tell he thought this was gonna be an easy win. "Let's go."

"Xiaolin Showdown!"

The scenery changed in flashes of light, the trees growing to phenomenal proportions. The guys were transported to a safe lookout while Kimiko and Chase stood on a branch far away from each other.

"Gong yi tem pai!" was shouted from both and soon the tree branches started to sway and attack the warriors on their own. Chase and Kimiko dodged each branch and came closer together, attacking one another as well.

Chase had expected a one hit knock out with his battle but got something much harder. Her time training with the flames paid off as she was faster and stronger than before. She could have finished this fight by surprising him with her fire element, but found herself having fun baiting him in battle. For every punch he gave her, she gave one right back. Every Dodge was met with a kick and push with a shove. They were equal and that did not sit well with Chase.

Eventually, his anger gave way and transformed him into his reptilian self. The sleek scales and razor sharp teeth somehow did not frighten Kimiko, instead it gave her a yearning to see it even closer. Sadly, with his transformation came with faster speed and strength, pushing her to the edge of the trees with each attack.

Kimiko soon got tired of the turn of this game and unleashed on of her new attacks. Gathering flames into her hands, she soon had it spinning it around her body, gaining speed with each completed circle around her. Chase had halted his pursuit on her to stare in awe at the fire that streaked through the air.

His awe, however, soon turned to slight terror as Kimiko shot the fire straight at him, knocking him off his branch and on to one below. Soon after, the branch hit him in the solarplex and knocked him into the Xiaolin void below, ending the showdown.

Kimiko was smug as things turned to normal and the wu was in her hands. Her joy was short lived when the wu glowed a silver light and shot right into her chest. Pain was all she could feel when her skin started to glow the same light the wu did. Nothing was said as the light receded and Kimiko was sitting on the ground, no wu in sight.

"Kimiko/Kim'ko!" The boys ran over to her and stood around her. Said girl was wondering why they weren't helping her up.

"What in the world were you thinking?!" Raimundo yelled, throwing his hands in the air. "Challenging Chase Young and then losing the wu!?"

"What are you talking about Rai?" She asked, "I won the showdown! I didn't lose!"

"If that's true then where's the wu?" Clay responded, his country drawl coming in strongly.

"I don't know, it was in my—"

"Kimiko, it is fine if you admit defeat." Omi butted in. "After all, no one can be as strong as myself!" Over and over again, the guys demeaned her and told her to just tell them she lost. Their voices morphing into one giant headache for Kimiko as she tried to get a single word in. Soon, though, she had had enough.

"SHUT UP!" Silence rung into the clearing, no one said anything else. Kimiko stood up and dusted herself off. "I won the wu, that's all there is to it. Being my friends and seeing the showdown for yourselves, one would think you would believe me.

But since you're all blaming me for the wu disappearing, FOR A REASON I DON'T KNOW OF, and belittling my abilities I can see why people say choose your friend carefully. From now on I am no longer a Xiaolin Monk, nor your friend and ally. Good luck getting the wu, you're gonna need it." With that, Kimiko walked into the forest without a glance back, leaving the boys stunned at what happened.

"You know, she was right." A voice drawled out over the clearing. Everyone looked back to see Chase Young leaning against a tree. "She did win the showdown and showed much more honor than you three combined."

"What the heck do you know?" Raimundo screamed out, his anger getting the better of him. "You don't know her like we do!" The other two nodded their heads in agreement.

"Apparently I know more than you. I was fighting her after all and I would know if I won or not."

"Chase Young is most right." Omi said after a moment of silence. "He does not admit defeat easily, but will when it does happen."

"Yes, and I will tell you this, young monks." Chase responded as he walked into the shadows. "You just lost your strongest warrior." Nothing was said once again as Chase disappeared into the dark of the forest. The three monks stared at on another with dread hanging over their heads.

"My friends, our luck is most pooped."

"That's shit out of luck, Omi. Shit out of luck."

"….That too."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A year has passed since Kimiko defected from the Xiaolin side and disappeared. The boys felt worse than ever when every wu they tried to get ended up on the side of Heylin. Nothing went right since their only female friend walked into the forest. After hours of not finding her, they had headed back to the temple to find Dojo telling Master Fung everything that had happened. Sad to say, not really, they have been punished by Fung to the point of what they think is unfair. He made them train, clean, build, and meditate until they were past exhaustion.

The only good thing was when Ping Pong came to be a 'great' monk like his hero, Omi. Master Fung was delighted when a new Xiaolin dragon appeared to take Kimiko's place, even if he did control wood and not fire.

Back to the present, the guys had just lost another shen gong wu to Jack Spicer and their moods were worst for the wear. Ping tried to cheer everyone up but instead gained their glares and harsh words. Even his hero Omi did nothing but lash at him.

"What troubles you, young monk?" Master Fung asked Ping when he found him out by the pond. Ping just sighed and looked into the water. The other monks had just finished telling him how he was just as useless as Kimiko.

"It is nothing, Master Fung." Ping sighed once again as he adjusted his glasses. "Everything is fine." Fung just sat beside him watched the Koi fish swim around the pond.

"Everything that has happened today shall disappear once the sun rises." Fung said after a minute of silence. Ping just scratched his head in confusion. How could everything vanish by tomorrow? It would make no sense.

"Master Fung, I am most confused." Ping replied, "What does rising suns have to do with what happened today?"

"It means, young monk, that if you let go of what happened today and not let it hurt you, then by the time the sun rises, your worries will be gone." With that Fung got up once again and moved to inside the temple, leaving Ping alone once more.

"Let go of what happened…" Ping whispered to himself. "Easier said than done, Master Fung."

/]]]/

Chase Young wandered the forest that Kimiko was last seen in. After the monks stopped searching for her, he picked it back up and looked everywhere he could think of. His search lead him to the forest once again and there he remained.

'It has been a year and still no trace of her.' He thought as he walked the shadowed path. 'How can one just disappear, especially the Dragon of Fire?' Chase was hoping to get Kimiko on the Heylin side after the betrayal of her 'friends', but with no sign of her his plan was short lived. Yet still he didn't give up.

He had been wandering the forest for the past six months and no clue has shown up to point him in her direction. He wanted to leave the forest, oh boy did he want to, but something just kept him there walking around. He had found something strange a few days earlier and even though he had no idea what it was, he was heading back to right now.

The trees seemed to part right in front of him as he came upon the unusual scene once more. In between two trees was a huge ball of wrapped vines. It was suspended in the air by several other vines that attached to the two trees. Chase walked closer to it and laid his hand on the ball.

A faint pulse could be felt under his hand; the vines were warm to the touch. Everything about this forest was wrong and Chase knew it. Nothing was frozen over in snow like it was outside the trees and felt like spring was here every day. His attention was brought back to the vines when a shearing pain went through his hand.

Pulling it back, he saw a large bleeding cut across his palm. The blood on the vine soaked in and a glow started to spread throughout the ball. Chase took a step back and shielded his eyes from the bright light. After five minutes, the glow ceased and the ball unrevealed to reveal a small figure.

Cautious as always, Chase walked wearily towards the squirming figure with his muscles tense to attack. What it really was, however almost made him stumble when got a good look at it. There, in the middle of the fast rotting vines, was a small baby girl.

The little one had flowing black hair with a green tint, wide green eyes with reptilian slits instead of pupils, and sharp little fangs in her mouth. Chase smirked at his find and picked up the baby girl, she cooed and tried to grab at his finger when he did.

"Looks like I found something worth interest." He chuckled darkly and turned to walk out of the forest. "Come; let's go home, my new apprentice." With that said, they both disappeared into the forest, not seeing the pair of glowing blue eyes that glared at him from the tree's top.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ping had just got back from training on his own in the courtyard. Ever since they lost the wu to Jack Spicer, the other xiaolin warriors started to ignore him. They never trained with him anymore and pretended he wasn't there when they bad mouthed both him and Kimiko. Eventually, Ping beginning to regret coming to the temple.

He had come here to be just like his hero, Omi, but now his hero has become his monster under the bed. Every night Ping has had nightmares about the harsh words and nasty glares the guys have been giving him. He knew now what Kimiko went through and wished that he could find her to get her help for his dreams.

Sighing, Ping went to his room and opened the door. The day was long and even though night had yet to fall, he was exhausted. All he wanted to do was flop down onto his futon and fall asleep, but the figure by his window would not let him do that just yet.

"Hello Ping. How was your day?" Ping looked towards the voice and saw the one person he wished to see the most, Kimiko. She looked different then the last time he saw her. Her hair was long and just below her waist. Her normal xiaolin clothes had been replaced with a simple black dress made of some unknown material. The biggest change, however, was her eyes. Once a beautiful caring blue was now a glowing icy color.

"Kimiko? Is that really you?" Ping was close to tears. Seeing that, Kimiko's eyes softened a bit as she walked over and wrapped him in a hug.

"Ping, I know that living here has been hard on you. I have been watching the temple since you came and I have decided to make you an offer." Ping looked up at her, his eyes wide with wonder at what she might be saying. Smiling gently down at him, Kimiko gave him one more hug and asked in a quiet voice, "Will you come and live with me?"

"Yes!" Ping knew that he would come to love his choice.

/[[[/

"Again!"

It has been five months since Chase found the baby girl in the forest and she has been growing at a remarkable pace. She now looked like a seven year old and changed in looks. Her once black-green hair was now a dark green and her eyes kept the same color with some blue sneaking in around the edges.

Chase had named her Shadow for her power over the element and came to see her as a daughter. Although her upbringing was by one of his cats, thus her Australian accent, she mostly learned from him in fighting. Her personality, however, caused him a never ending curiosity.

Shadow acted like him on most days, but once in a while, she would resemble the missing Dragon of Fire so closely, one would think they were related. It didn't help that when he showed her his memories of his past battles with the xiaolin side, she took immediate interest in the missing girl. Once asked about it, all she said was that she felt a pull to the Dragon of Fire that she could not explain.

'It is no matter.' He thought to himself as he watched her train with the cats. 'The xiaolin warriors shall soon fall. With the Dragon of Fire renouncing them and the Dragon of the Wood disappearing they will crumble over their own actions. After all, you reap what you sow.'


End file.
